Cicero and Listener
by pantrycakeless
Summary: Cicero is in love with the Dark Mother's Listener. One day the Listener leaves the Sanctuary and he finds the Listener's diary. How will he react when he reads it? Rated M for mentions of Murder and Torture.


Disclaimer: I do not own the Elder Scroll series or its characters.

A/N: Reviews are welcome

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Cicero's POV

She was so beautiful with her Breton looks. Her green eyes alone could bring Cicero to his knees. Her long auburn hair fascinated Cicero to no end. Cicero knew that the Listener would only ever see Cicero as the Jester and as Mother's Keeper. Which Cicero was and Cicero loved to care for Mother but Cicero also wanted the Listener to watch Cicero with hungry eyes just as Cicero watched her whenever she came back to their Sanctuary.

The Listener didn't talk much. In fact Cicero believes that if the Listener knew of a language that only included hand signals that she would resort to it and refuse to use her beautiful voice again. The only times the Listener talks to anyone, besides Cicero, is when she tells the Sanctuary the will of our Mother. But Cicero loved when she would speak because her voice was clear as glass and as pure as falling snow.

'Why would she ever want anyone as mad as you Cicero?' The Jester mocked inside of Cicero's head.

"Cicero is much better for her than any other Brother or Sister. Cicero is even better than that thief, Brynjolf that the Listener asks to watch over the Thieves Guild for her." Cicero countered back. "Cicero knows how to make her laugh, when she needs silence, and I always come with her on her most dangerous missions!"

'Yes, but you are still a broken man with nothing of great importance to offer the Listener of the Dark Brotherhood and Savior of the Thieves Guild. Is this why you haven't told her of your feelings yet, my poor mad Cicero?'

"No! Cicero says nothing because Cicero knows the Listener only loves Cicero as a friend and nothing more. You know this for you are inside poor Cicero's head!" A knock on Cicero's door interrupts the argument. Inside of the doorway is Cicero's Listener standing in just a tunic and ragged pants.

"Oh, Listener! It is good to see you back again! Cicero is so very excited to have the Listener back!" Cicero says while jumping up and down with glee that Cicero's Listener would choose to come to Cicero.

"Were you speaking to the Jester again Keeper?" She asks.

"Yes, Listener. The Jester is always willing to argue and laugh at poor Cicero."

"Come with me, Keeper, and maybe together we can silence him for one night." Cicero is confused. Why would the Listener care if the Jester is arguing at him this night? The Jester is always arguing with Cicero.

But Cicero is only too willing to follow the Listener anywhere for Cicero has loved her since before she saved Cicero at the Dawnstar Sanctuary. Before the Listener even became the Listener did Cicero love her. Cicero cannot remember a time in which he wasn't in love with his Listener. For she always listened to Cicero's stories, jokes, and any words that come to Cicero at anytime.

Cicero follows the Listener back to her rooms and turns to ask the Listener a question when Cicero feels the Listener grab his hand.

"Will you sleep by me tonight, my Keeper? I find it hard to sleep anywhere without you anymore. Even if you do talk in your sleep." His Listener asks Cicero. Cicero noticed her calling him HER Keeper. That is all he has ever wanted to be since Cicero met her on the road to Falkreath with a broken wagon wheel and Mother's coffin.

"Of course, my Listener! All you need to do is ask and Cicero will be happy to oblige." Cicero noticed her blush when he said my Listener. And Cicero wanted to groan at the sight. Cicero wanted to see his Listener blush with pleasure again and again. Cicero knew that the Listener thought of poor Cicero as innocent as a child in some areas, relationships and sex being a few of them, but Cicero hadn't been an innocent in anything since he was twelve and the Dark Brotherhood found him killing a man for a few coins in Cyrodil.

"Very well, my Keeper. Shall we go to sleep than?" Cicero nods with great enthusiasm. Cicero hasn't had a night alone with his Listener in so long. Cicero craves being close to his Listener above all others, sometimes even over Mother.

They lay down in the bed together and put their backs together just like they do when they were on missions so that no one can sneak up on them. Cicero heard his Listener's breathing slow and fall into a rhythm. Cicero moved in closer to his Listener and turned over so that he could see her face.

'She is so beautiful. How did poor Cicero get so lucky to even fall in love with his amazing Listener?' Cicero asked the Jester.

'I don't know Cicero. But you better be ready for the day that she finds someone who wants to be with her always because than YOUR Listener will no longer just be yours. She'll be his then. Are you ready for that?' The Jester told Cicero while laughing maniacally.

"NO! She is MINE! Sithis is the only one Cicero will give her up for! And not even then will Sithis keep us apart!" Cicero yelled back.

"Cicero! Are you all right!?" His Listener asked Cicero. Cicero's yelling at the Jester had woken her up.

"Yes. Cicero is fine, my Listener. The Jester was just telling lies again."

"Who is yours Cicero? Who is she?" His Listener asks Cicero. A strange tone had entered into her voice if Cicero didn't know any better he might have thought it jealousy or envy. But it couldn't be because his Listener could never think of him like that.

"A woman that Cicero loves but who can never love him back."

"Why? Is it because you are part of the Dark Brotherhood?" That tone again. Hhhhmmmm, Cicero wonders what it could mean.

"No, my dear Listener. It's not because of the Dark Brotherhood, our Mother, or our Father. It's because Cicero is mad. How could any woman love a broken man, my Listener?" Cicero says dejected. Than his Listener does something not even the Jester would have imagined. She touched Cicero's face with a look on her face that for some reason gave Cicero hope of one day making the Listener actually his.

"Have you told her how you feel, my Keeper?"

"No. Cicero doesn't think he could take it if she didn't return his feelings and the Jester tells Cicero that there are other men more worthy of her than Cicero. That if Cicero doesn't tell her how he feels and soon than another will come and take her from Cicero."

"Nonsense! The Jester just wants to make you as miserable as he is Cicero. If you truly love her than you need to tell her how you feel because how will you ever know if she loves you if you don't make the first step?"

"Very good point my Listener. You are so wise. Cicero will talk to his love tomorrow and tell her how he feels! But for now can Cicero stay with his Listener tonight?"

"Of course my Keeper. You never have to ask." She stays facing Cicero as she closes her eyes and again falls asleep. This time the Jester stays quiet so that Cicero can just be with his Listener for once. As she falls into an even deeper sleep Cicero pulls her closer and she starts to cuddle even closer to him. She starts to mumble in her sleep. Cicero strains to hear her and what she says surprises even the Jester into continued silence.

"Mmmmmm. My Keeper don't leave me…..Please…..Cicero, don't leave me…..Stay here with me…Don't go to her…I love you, Cicero…..Stay." His Listener relaxes even more and falls into a deeper sleep making her mumbling stop.

'Could it be, Jester? Could she really love a mad, broken man like Cicero?'

'Fool of Hearts, you won't ever know until you ask her. If you don't ask her tomorrow than I will haunt even past the void. Do you understand?!' The Jester's threat had no true weight for Cicero was feeling beyond ecstatic believing that his Listener might just feel as he does. Cicero couldn't wait to talk to her in the morning.

But when he awoke in the morning there was no sign of his Listener.

"Brother Nazir! Where is our dear Listener this morning?" Cicero asked his brother.

Nazir gave Cicero a look of pity and said:

"Gone, Cicero. She grabbed some contracts from me, wrote down the Dark Mother's instructions, and left before dawn this morning. She didn't even stop and see Babette about any new potions before she left."

"Gone….Cicero's Listener…..Gone. But where would she go. Cicero needs to tell her how Cicero feels! She needs to know! Cicero has loved her for so long, Brother Nazir! Cicero cannot live without her anymore." Cicero sobbed out to Nazir.

"I know, Jester, I know. The whole Sanctuary knows how you feel. We have known it since before the Listener was sent to kill you. It was the reason that Astrid asked her to go, so that the Listener would have to kill you. You, the one man who holds the Listener's heart as surely as she holds yours."

"What? The Listener can't love Cicero! Cicero is mad and broken and not worthy for someone as beautiful as the Listener!"

"That is not how she sees you, Cicero. She sees you as the Keeper, the Fool of Hearts, the Jester, and the Man. If you don't believe me than go back to her room and look through her books until you come across an unmarked book. Read it and then tell me that our Listener doesn't love her Keeper."

Cicero looked at Nazir as if he had gone mad but nonetheless Cicero went back to his Listener's room to look for this book. Cicero went to the bookshelf and found it on the bottom tucked behind a mage book about how to transfigure iron to gold.

Cicero opened up the unmarked book and began to read:

'I met a strange man today. He had a coffin in the back of a wagon and was trying to fix a broken wheel in the mud. He asked me for help. At first I was reluctant but then I thought why not? I helped him and then I went on my way to meet up with Brother Nazir and Leader Astrid for my next contract. When I got back to the Sanctuary I could hear talking and hysterical laughter. As I walked down the steps to talk to my Family I saw the man from Falkreath along with the coffin standing upright. After everyone had said their peace and left for their own activities I talked to him again. He introduced himself as Cicero, the Keeper. I remained silent and let my Family speak for me.'

Cicero read those words and remembered meeting his Listener for the first time. Back before Mother had shown that Sister Rei was the Listener. Cicero kept reading what appeared to be his Listener's journal.

'Cicero is insane but he and I get along really well. He isn't put off by my quiet nature and he always has stories to tell me. Most of the stories are from his missions before he became the Keeper for our Mother. He also tells these jokes about strange and awful things but I don't mind them. I know that he feels awful that he can't find the Listener for our Mother and I think it is one of the major reasons he went mad during his solitude from Cyrodil to Skyrim. We are fast becoming good friends, which is strange for me since I haven't had a friend that understands me since I was a young girl in Daggerfall.'

Cicero remembered those days. Cicero and Sister Rei got along immediately and were inseparable until Sister Rei had to leave for missions and Cicero could never follow because he needed to take care of Mother.

'I think I might be falling in love with Cicero. He is the only man that treats me as an equal and not as some fragile flower that needs protecting. Even Nazir doesn't treat me like that and I'm pretty sure he has no idea I'm female! Last night I had a dream about marrying Cicero and living the rest of our lives as we have for the last couple of months. It was a good dream. A lot different than the dreams I have of nearly being beheaded by the Imperials and Stormcloaks. Astrid is calling me, something about a new mission.'

Cicero nearly laughed out loud at how naïve his Listener could be. Astrid had only given her this mission so that Rei could spy on him and see if he was a spy. Astrid had always frowned down upon the old ways, even before the Dark Brotherhood took a hit financially and morale wise, and had never understood how anyone could be loyal to a corpse. Even if that corpse could talk like it does for the Listener.


End file.
